Follow the NN/LM SCR

Archive for 2009

MedlinePlus released a new version of the A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia that includes approximately 400 new Patient Instruction pages, covering pre-operative information and instructions, discharge instructions, self-care instructions, and questions to ask your doctor.

The Patient Instruction pages are available in both English and Spanish, and you will be able to find them in the MedlinePlus search engine and A-Z index pages for the encyclopedia. Additionally, you will see links to related Patient Instructions in the side-bar of many encyclopedia articles (see screen capture below):

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services invites you to comment on the DRAFT set of objectives for Healthy People 2020. For three decades, Healthy People has provided a set of national 10-year health promotion and disease prevention objectives aimed at improving the health of all Americans.

Visit www.healthypeople.gov/hp2020 to
• View proposed draft objectives for Healthy People 2020
• Comment on the proposed objectives
• Comment on the topic areas
• Suggest additional objectives
• Suggest topic areas you feel are missing from the draft set

Your comments will help ensure issues important to you are included in Healthy People. Establishing objectives and providing benchmarks to track progress motivates, guides, and focuses action. Be part of the change. Comments will be accepted through December 31, 2009.

Louisiana Go Local is officially launched! Louisiana Go Local lists thousands of services across the state. People can find doctors, hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, support groups, diabetes care, cancer services, home health care, weight management services, and much more by visiting Louisiana Go Local (www.medlineplus.gov/lagolocal).

Gov. Bobby Jindal proclaimed October 28, 2009 Go Local Dayin Louisiana to recognize the launch of the site. The proclamation (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/news/go_local.pdf) notes that “knowing how to locate health services in the community can aid in the prevention of disease and maintenance of a healthy lifestyle.”

Louisiana Go Local is produced by Baton Rouge General’s Health Sciences Library in collaboration with the LSU School of Library and Information Science, and the National Library of Medicine, part of the National Institutes of Health. Additional thanks go to the Louisiana Go Local Advisory Board, East Baton Rouge Parish Library, and Pennington Library and Information Center.

Congratulations to Baton Rouge General and to all who worked hard to create this new Go Local site for Louisiana!

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB) has added its first set of nanomaterial records. Nanotechnology is the study of matter on an atomic and molecular scale, i.e. structures 100 nanometers or smaller.

The nanomaterial records are peer-reviewed and contain information on toxicity, manufacturing and use, chemical and physical properties, environmental fate and exposure, and more. There are currently seven HSDB nanomaterial records. Due to the continually evolving nature of this field, information and/or records will be added as data become available.

The NN/LM SCR will be holding four consumer health workshops in two days at the Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library on January 15 and 16, 2010. These workshops are free and open to all. Please register at http://nnlm.gov/scr/training/. You do not need to sign up for all four classes to attend.

All of the workshops in this series are approved for Level II of the Medical Library Association’s Consumer Health Information Specialization (CHIS). For more information about the CHIS program go to http://mlanet.org/education/chc/.

Super Searcher
Friday, January 15, 2010, 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Frustrated by the lack of good results when searching the Internet? Would you like to improve your searching skills to get better results? In this class, we will discuss the history of web searching, how search engines work, tips for expert searchers, the invisible web, and Web 2.0 tools for searching. For more information, go to http://nnlm.gov/training/supersearcher/ Instructor: Ruicha Mishra, Health Professionals Outreach Coordinator.

Grants and Proposal Writing
Saturday, January 16, 2010, 8:00 am – 12:00 pm
Designed for beginning grant proposal writers, this class presents a general overview of the grant and funding processes as well as the level of detail required in a successful proposal. Each component of the grant writing process will be addressed, including: documenting the need; identifying the target population; writing measurable objectives; developing a work plan, an evaluation plan and dissemination plan. For more information, go to http://nnlm.gov/training/grants/ Instructor: Karen Vargas, Consumer Health Outreach Coordinator

Caring for the Mind: Providing Mental Health Information at Your Library
Saturday, January 16, 2010, 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
This hands-on class will help participants to gain awareness of mental health issues. Participants will learn to respond to challenging reference questions for mental health information. Websites will be presented on collection development and mental health research. For more information, go to http://nnlm.gov/training/consumer/caringforthemind/. Instructor: KK Jiang, Technology Coordinator

CDC is pleased to announce the public launch of SNAPS: Snap Shots of State Population Data. SNAPS is a free service to the public that provides local-level community profile information nationwide. It can be browsed by county and state and searched by zip code.

SNAPS serves as a valuable tool when responding to public health emergency events at the state, Tribal, and local levels. It provides a snap shot of key variables for consideration in guiding and tailoring health education and communication efforts to ensure diverse audiences receive critical public health messages that are accessible, understandable, and timely.

The Ad Council and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have new Wild Things PSAs on www.smallstep.gov. The ads feature characters from the feature film Where the Wild Things Are and encourage children to explore, discover, run, jump and howl! SmallStep.gov is filled with fun information on healthy eating and physical activity.

The Maternal and Child Health Library released a new edition of the knowledge path, Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs. The knowledge path points to resources that analyze data, describe effective programs, and report on policy and research aimed at developing systems of care for children and youth with special health care needs that are family-centered, community-based, coordinated, and culturally competent. Separate sections address specific aspects of care and development, such as early intervention and special education, financing services, rehabilitation, screening, and transition.

Are you interested in expanding your library services to older adults? This “train the trainer” class is designed to help librarians assist their older adult patrons find health information. Discover techniques for teaching older adults to use computers and to find health information on the Internet, learn what makes a website senior-friendly; plan library programs on senior health topics; and learn about some recommended health websites for older adults.